"Th-th-th-that's all, folks!"
Porky Pig was Warner Bros.’ first homegrown star, and in Chuck Jones’s cartoons he became something rarer: the best supporting actor in the studio. Jones cast Porky as the calm observer beside Daffy Duck’s chaos, a space cadet, a deputy or a friar who quietly lets the audience know how absurd things have become. His stammer made him famous; his patience made him indispensable.
| Species: | Pig |
|---|---|
| First appearance: | I Haven't Got a Hat (released March 2, 1935) |
| Created by: | Friz Freleng (director); later developed by Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Frank Tashlin and Chuck Jones |
| Original voice: | Joe Dougherty (1935 to 1937); Mel Blanc (1937 to 1989) |
| Signature lines: | "Th-th-th-that's all, folks!" |
| Frequent co-stars: | Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Charlie Dog |
Porky debuted in Friz Freleng’s I Haven’t Got a Hat (1935), part of a group of animal schoolchildren that also included Beans the cat. He was the first character the studio created who drew audiences on his own star power; Bosko, the studio’s earlier star, left with his creators in 1933. Joe Dougherty, who really stammered, voiced Porky until Mel Blanc took over in 1937 and created the controlled stutter audiences remember.
Jones admitted the early Porky had “about as much personality as a can of Crisco.” The fix was casting. Jones made Porky an adult, heavier and smarter, and set him beside louder characters as the one who notices. In his notes Jones observes that Porky’s structure is nearly the same as Elmer Fudd’s, apart from the nose, yet the two could not be more different on screen.
Porky Pig was originally part of a Tubby Millar/Friz Freleng vaudeville-like team of Porky and Beans. Beans can probably be found today, a toothless, out-of-work (since 1935) cat, sleeping fitfully on park benches, cursing the William Morris agency while his erstwhile partner, Porky, enjoys worldwide fame, acclaim, and pâté de foie gras galore.
Porky Pig is structured almost identically to Elmer Fudd except for his nose, but the pair’s personalities are quite different. The early Porky had about as much personality as a can of Crisco. We didn’t know what he was, so he could hardly know who he was, and he just walked through his roles. I began to discover Porky’s unique character only when I gave him more sophisticated parts, and then he developed characteristics of his own.
As the space cadet in Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century or Friar Tuck in Robin Hood Daffy, Porky is the observer, stating what the audience is thinking and only incidentally playing an active part in the plot. Porky the observer was a type of character I had not met before. The role became significant in Duck Dodgers, in which he acts as Daffy’s assistant. The film’s leading man could not appear heroic unless he had somebody to bounce off of, and a character such as Daffy required someone relatively meek for the role. Porky, responding on behalf of the audience, makes us realize the true craziness of what we are seeing.
– Chuck Jones
Every piece in our Porky Pig collection is certified by the Chuck Jones family. Browse originals, limited editions and prints below, or contact our art consultants with any questions.
